


Under the Influence

by jaekayelle



Category: Firefly
Genre: M/M, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-03-31
Updated: 2003-03-31
Packaged: 2019-04-29 07:33:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14467947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaekayelle/pseuds/jaekayelle
Summary: Another job goes wrong, or does it?





	Under the Influence

 

Under the Influence

## Under the Influence

### by Jae Kayelle

Disclaimer: characters belong to Joss Whedon, Tim Minear, and Mutant Enemy. No copyright infringement intended. No profits made from this work of fiction. 

Thanks to sffan for the beta. Any lingering mistakes are mine. 

Jayne and I fought side by side, blowing big holes in Bart Randal's double-dealing, thieving gang as they foolishly charged toward us thinking that they would soon see us fall under their fire. They underestimated us. It would be the last time. 

Unfortunately, our estimation of Randal's sneakiness fell short, too. He shot me from behind, getting me in the shoulder. It stung a little but nothing more. That was weird. Almost instantaneously my legs turned to rubber and seemingly disconnected from my body. The world tilted and spun, fading out and back into focus, and then going grey. My last conscious awareness of what I was doing was of stumbling backwards and being caught and held against Jayne's large body, secure within the circle of his strong arms wound around my chest. Everything was fading to black. 

"Mal!" 

Funny, Jayne sounded panicked. Don't think I ever heard that note in his voice before. It was the last thing I heard for a while. 

# 

When I awoke it was to find that Jayne and I were no longer in Randal's hideout. We seemed to be in some kind of shack - one room with two doors and two small windows. It wasn't an elegant establishment but it didn't have any bad guys in it. That was always a plus. 

Jayne had his back to me. He seemed to be busy at a stove, stirring something in a pot. It actually smelled pretty good. I shifted on the thin mattress and the worn blanket covering me slid off to the floor. Jayne heard me moving and turned around. 

"Hey, you're awake." He grinned and crossed over to fetch the blanket and replace it over me, tucking it in along my body. 

"Guess so," I said and promptly yawned. "Or maybe not." 

"You were really out of it, Mal. Thought you was never gonna wake up." Jayne crouched beside the cot, looking at me with an expression of undiluted worry. 

I searched back through my memory and came up with only hazy images. "Care to fill me in on what happened?" 

A line creasing his brow, Jayne said slowly, "You got hit by a tranquilizer dart, doncha remember? We was in Bart Randal's hideout in Lieh Toh. He musta wanted you alive to torture or something. You know how warped that man was." 

I forced my brain cells to unscramble. "I remember... a shootout. Nothin' after that. Where are we now?" 

"After you got shot I took care of Randal and grabbed you and ran. Then I stole a horse and headed for the hills. Kept going until we hit a small town out a ways. They're lettin' us use this cabin for now." 

"They. Who... are they?" My tongue still felt like it had a mind of its own. 

"Hill folks. They got themselves a little town out here, no more'n a dozen shacks. One of them, Ozrah, is goin' into Lieh Toh tomorrow and promised to call Zoe on Serenity. He has a buddy with a radio who can relay word to the ship." 

"If you took care of Randal what are we doin' out here?" 

"Seems he had some cronies not on his payroll but still a mite upset over us killin' him and his men. Hadda get us outta there, Mal." Jayne's voice rose. 

"It's okay. You did fine." I reached out and patted his arm. He quieted immediately. I liked the feel of fine hairs under my palm and lost myself for a moment in stroking them. I brushed them so that they stood up and then back the other way so that they lay more or less flat again. 

"Uh, Mal?" The low, hoarse voice brought me back to myself. I lifted my gaze and saw his grey eyes darken though not in anger. I couldn't quite place the expression. He dropped his gaze to where I was playing with his arm hairs. 

Getting the message after another moment, I removed my hand. "Sorry. I'm still feeling... the edges of my brain are kinda blurry yet." 

He glanced over his shoulder. "I caught a rabbit and made some stew. Ozrah gave us some carrots and potatoes to go with it. Maybe you should eat somethin' and then get some more sleep. Be a day or more before Zoe comes for us." 

"Sounds good." My stomach was feeling kinda hollow. I struggled to sit up and Jayne assisted with an arm around my back, propping me up against the wall in a sitting position. When he was sure I wasn't going to topple over, and it was kinda touch and go there for a bit, he returned to the stove and ladled up a couple of bowlfuls of stew. He brought them over and handed one to me before sitting next to me on the cot. I inhaled the aroma. It smelled wonderful. I carefully brought a spoonful up to my lips, pleased that I could manoeuvre the utensil on my own, and tasted it - even better than it smelled. If we could get some fresh food on board Serenity maybe letting Jayne cook wouldn't be a bad idea. 

I ate slowly, savouring it. Jayne was done before me and leaned back against the wall to watch me eat. Ordinarily that woulda annoyed me but I was too busy eating to care. 

After a few minutes the bowl was empty and my belly was feeling satisfied. I let the bowl rest on my thigh and closed my eyes. Jayne took the bowl away from me and I heard him walk over to the other side of the small cabin. 

"How ya feelin'?" he asked, returning to sit on the cot next to me once more. 

I was going to answer automatically that I was fine, but realized that all was not well. Whereas a moment ago my stomach had eagerly received the food now it was beginning to churn unhappily. I placed my hands over my abdomen and rubbed it, trying to convince it to settle down but to no avail. It was getting worse. 

"You gonna hurl?" Jayne asked, leaping to his feet. 

Before I could do more than whimper he produced a pail from somewhere and held it in front of me. It had about an inch of muddy looking water in the bottom but I didn't care. I promptly heaved up all of what had been a delicious supper and whatever I'd eaten before that. Jayne put an arm around my shoulders and supported me as I emptied my stomach completely. When I stopped spitting up only bile I leaned against him, trembling like a newborn colt. My nose was running and my eyes leaked all over his t-shirt. He didn't seem to mind and kept running his hand up and down my arm. It felt good. I turned my head and rubbed my cheek against his broad chest in response. He felt so warm and safe that I got drowsy. 

After a few minutes Jayne slid me down onto the mattress so that my head lay on the pillow. It was thin and lumpy like the rest of the bed but it seemed clean and felt like heaven right then. 

With his big hand covering my forehead, he said, "Guess there's still some drugs in your system. Must be why you couldn't keep the stew down." 

"S'good stew," I slurred, feeling inexplicably sleepy. I turned my head into the warmth of his palm as he let it drift down to cup my cheek, and I fell asleep. 

# 

The next time I woke up the cabin was in darkness and I wasn't alone on the narrow cot. I lay on my side with Jayne spooned up behind me, his arms wrapped securely around my middle. Lying on his left arm the way I was doing wasn't entirely comfortable, so I wriggled around until he moved it up higher where it fit better. 

I figured he must have been asleep, as he didn't speak. Instead he pulled me closer, tight up against his chest. I liked the warmth he provided as the cabin had cooled off after nightfall, and the holey blanket covering us provided little comfort. His thighs pressed against my bent legs seating my ass in his lap, so to speak. I felt the stirring of his erection and tentatively pushed back into it. Jayne reacted by pulling away, proving he was actually awake. I held him fast by wrapping my arms over his. 

"Don't," I said, "s'okay." Maybe he'd think I was still under the influence of the drug from that dart. I kept my eyes shut and waited. 

After a bit he relaxed and snuggled himself up close again. When he rested his cheek against my hair I was fairly sure he believed me to be still fuzzy and unawares. I listened to him breathe. It stirred my hair and sent shivers down the back of my neck. I liked it. 

# 

When morning arrived Jayne was nowhere to be seen. My bladder needed emptying and soon, so I struggled into an upright position and hoisted myself off the bed. Getting vertical proved to be a questionable choice. The room spun and I sat down hard. Closing my eyes stopped most of the spinning so I waited it out. Finally trying again, I sneaked a look through my eyelashes. Everything held still. 

I was actually walking towards the door when it opened and Jayne entered the cabin. He lunged forward when he saw me, hands out as if to catch me. Ever so gently he put an arm around my shoulders. 

"You shouldn't be up yet, Mal." 

"Gotta go," I said. 

"There's nowhere to go. Wash ain't here yet to take us back to the ship." 

"No," I said forcefully. "I gotta go take a leak." 

"Oh." He grinned knowingly. "Ain't no privy in here. You need to go out back." 

"Wherever's closest." I was feeling a little desperate. 

"I'll help ya." 

"No offence, Jayne, but this I can do myself." 

"Just gonna steer you to the outhouse. After that you're on your own. Some things I just won't do for a fella." He winked, and kept at least one hand on me to hold me steady as I made my way to the little wooden building behind the cabin. It smelled real bad in there but that hole in the bench served the purpose. 

After I was done I emerged to find him waiting nearby. He slid his arm around my back and I let him. I was feeling stronger by the minute but I liked Jayne being all solicitous and such. It was a side of him I'd never witnessed before. Having him fuss over me had a calming effect on me. Normally I'm not one to let anyone do that, but for some reason I was enjoying letting Jayne play nursemaid. I put it down to feeling so sick the night before. Truth was I was still a mite wobbly, though not enough to warrant shamelessly leaning on him the way I was doing. 

I had a quick look around at our surroundings now that my mind was off more urgent matters. There were a few cabins nearby similar to ours, barely enough to call the collection of huts a town. I saw a few people in the distance watching us. One man mounted a horse and waved before riding off in the opposite direction. 

"That's Ozrah. He's just off to get his friend to contact Serenity." He helped me back inside the cabin and settled me on the cot. It seemed to be the only place to sit. 

"There's some stew left...if you want it." He seemed uncertain. It took me a minute to realize he thought that maybe his meal had been the cause of making me sick after all. 

"Stew sounds good," I told him. I was starvin' or mighty close to it. Then to reassure him I said, "I'm sure it was the drug from Randal's tranq that upset me last night." 

His face clearing, he smiled and went to the stove to re-heat the stew. I made myself comfortable against the wall, drawing my legs up onto the bed Native style. My eyes were just closing when I felt Jayne's weight settle beside me on the cot. I looked to find the tantalizing sight of Jayne Cobb's rabbit stew directly in front of me. It smelled as good as it had the first time. I accepted it and spooned in a mouthful, letting that go down to see if it was going to stay put. When it felt like it was home to stay I tasted another bite and another until the bowl was empty. 

Jayne was watching me curiously. 

"More?" I asked, holding out the bowl for a refill. 

"Ain't any more," he said regretfully. Then he looked down at what was left in his. He held it out and took mine. "Here. You need it more'n I do seeing as how ya gotta be running on fumes today." 

Without taking the stew from him I said in a husky voice, "We could share." I moved closer until our faces were inches apart. Up close his grey eyes seemed huge, big enough to fall into and deep enough to get lost in. His lashes drifted down partway as his gaze fell on my mouth. He leaned forward slightly, lips parting. I felt his hot breath on my face. He inched closer still. Then he stopped and pulled back a bit. 

"Mal? You in there?" 

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, genuinely confused by the question. 

"Is it you or is it you still affected by the drug? I don't want to start somethin' and then have you try to castrate me later just cuz you thought I was takin' advantage of you." 

I was about to say, "It's me and I know what I'm doing" when we heard the familiar sound of one of Serenity's shuttles landing out front of the cabin. Jayne cursed under his breath, shooting me a hungry look. I stared back at him wide-eyed. 

"Wash is here," I said unnecessarily. 

He swore again and got off the bed. I had a hard time keeping a straight face as he turned back and helped me up. Maybe I'd play possum for a little while longer. 

# 

Simon checked me over and declared me of sound mind and body. I asked him not to say anything to anyone. If Jayne was to ask I requested that Simon tell him that the drugs were working their way through my system, which was more or less true. Simon agreed that it was probable the tranquilizer might not be completely cleared. He looked at me suspiciously. 

"Why are you so eager to keep the whole truth from Jayne?" 

I replied, "Just want to keep him guessing for a while and have a little fun with him." Then I went in search of my mercenary. 

I'd been attracted to the big lug since I met him but, as was my way, kept my deeper feelings to myself. I really did believe that no good could come of shipboard romances. On the other hand, a man could only go so long in the company of someone he desired without reaching a point where he could no longer ignore his desires. At least, I couldn't. Now that I knew Jayne harboured similar feelings it seemed to be time to make a move. 

I found him in the common area cleaning several of his guns. Sitting next to him on one of the low couches I leaned back and got comfortable. He looked at me warily as I picked up a book I'd left there earlier. 

"What'd the Doc say?" he asked. 

I told him my version of Simon's diagnosis and pretended to read my book. He went back to cleaning his gun. After a moment he put it down and made an impatient noise in the back of his throat. I glanced at him. He was scowling. 

"Somethin' wrong?" I asked. 

"You remember that conversation we almost had a few hours ago? The one where I was gonna kiss you but only if you knew what you're doin'?" 

"Yeah," I said slowly. "I think I recall something like that." 

"We gonna finish it or what?" 

Pretending not to understand I asked, "Do you want to kiss me?" 

"Hell, yeah, I wanna kiss you! I just don't want you to find yourself in my bed and start screaming "rape" or some gorram thing." 

"How did we get from you wanting to kiss me to me waking up in your bed?" I put as much confusion as I could muster into my voice and expression. 

He gave me a long, searching look. "You're still not quite with it, are you? The drug is still scrambling your brain cells." 

He looked so endearingly resigned to doing the gentlemanly thing by backing off that I caved. I could no longer ignore my body's demands for satisfaction, either. I leaned close to him, grasped the back of his head and drew him forward into what turned out to be as hot and wet a kiss as I had ever experienced. Our tongues met and said hello to each other before setting off on an exploratory mission. Eventually, after all nooks and crannies had been investigated they decided to mate. Oxygen was becoming an issue by that time so I sucked on his bottom lip before slowly releasing it. I barely had time to draw breath before Jayne immediately latched back onto my mouth, treating me to some more talented kissing. For a man who said he doesn't kiss on the mouth, he sure knew what he was doing when he did it. I was getting hard just from that. Also, the bristles of his beard brushing my mouth and chin were so sensual and stimulating that the sensation contributed to my increasingly ardent state of being. 

I ran my hands over his chest and shoulders, pulling his shirt out of his waistband and sneaking my hands underneath it, searching for skin. He was a little hairy but that was a turn-on. I liked the feel of his soft chest hair under my palms. I found his nipples and rolled them between my fingers and thumbs. He moaned under my mouth, writhing a little from the sweet torture I was inflicting on him. I removed one hand to drop it into his lap, finding the bulge in his pants. I ran my knuckles along his length through the material of his trousers. He squirmed again and I felt his erection stiffen even more. 

Finally, he made his move. He swept me up against his chest and lay me backwards on the couch. I let him do it, waiting until he stretched out full length and covered me with his larger body. His fingers fumbled with my suspenders and he pushed them aside. Then he went in for my zipper, drawing it down. As soon as the cooler air hit my burning skin and his hand stole inside my pants to cup my raging erection I froze under him. I made my whole body go stiff as a board in his arms. He stopped sucking on my earlobe and lifted his head, his gaze dark and worried. 

"What's wrong?" 

"What are you doing?" I asked a little more loudly than necessary. 

"I'm givin' you what you want, what we both want." 

I forced myself to lay still and stared up at him with what I hoped was an expression of alarm. 

"I knew it!" he hissed. "That gorram tranq just wore off now, didn't it?" 

He shoved himself off me and got to his feet, staring down at me in all my exposed glory with something close to rage. He couldn't quite bring himself to be mad at me, thinking that I had been under the influence of the drug. His fists closed at his sides, and his pants were tented in front. He was horny as hell and unable to follow through with his desires. He looked furious and dangerous. I started thinking that maybe I'd waited too long. 

I quickly tucked myself back into my trousers. I was aching but it would have to wait just a little longer. I got to my feet and wound one arm around his back and the other around his neck, drawing his face down to mine. He blinked in confusion and let me take his mouth near to my own. There was barely a breath's space between our lips when I said, "This is me talking, Jayne. Not the tranquilizer. I meant what are you doing making love to me on the couch where anyone can come along and see us? Why aren't we in your bunk where we can have all the privacy we need?" 

It took him a few seconds to process this. His grey eyes darkened the way they had the night before and this time I recognized the lust in them. 

"It's really you, Mal?" 

"It's really me." 

"And you want to do this?" 

"I really want to do this." I put all of my heartfelt longing into the answer. 

"What the hell are we still doing here then?" Without waiting for an answer, he flung an arm around my waist and practically lifted me off my feet, taking off down the corridor with me in tow. It was all I could do to keep pace with him. I think my feet only touched the deck a few times on the way to his bunk. When we got there he stopped outside his quarters, looking at me with a deeply searching gaze that I felt as much as saw. Shivers ran down my spine in response to the need I saw in his eyes, ending with a jolt straight to my groin that sparked desire so strongly I would have let him take me right there. 

"You're sure?" 

"I'm sure." 

Grinning happily he led the way down the ladder. I followed as closely as possible finding myself caught in his embrace at the bottom. I slid down the last two rungs and the length of his body until my feet hit the floor. 

We were naked by the time we reached his bed, falling in a tangle of limbs onto the narrow cot with Jayne on the bottom. He held me to him as I sprawled on top. We began thrusting against one another, mindlessly chasing our burning need to consummate this new stage of our relationship. Clashing again and again, going higher and higher, we finally reached the pinnacle and climaxed, first him and then me. By that time we were on our sides, slick with sweat and now with semen. I flopped over hitting my shoulder blades against the bulkhead. I shifted around until I found a more comfortable position, which was with one arm and one leg thrown over Jayne. I burrowed in at his side and he turned to take me into his arms, bestowing light, airy kisses on my face and over my closed eyelids. 

"Mal?" 

"Hmm?" I asked sleepily. 

"I think mebbe I've been drugged, too." 

I opened my eyes and stared at him, speechless. It was the sweetest thing he had ever said to me. I hadn't realized until that moment that I had wanted to hear something sweet from him. It gave me an odd fluttery feeling in my chest. I inched closer and rested my chin on his shoulder, gazing at him in wonder. 

He continued, "I get this weird feelin' when I'm around you, like I'm not in my right mind." 

Now I was wondering if he meant it as a compliment or a curse. He set my mind at ease with his next words. 

"I like being all blurry around the edges." 

I kissed him again, slow and deep. I knew exactly how he felt. 

# end


End file.
